Lock having a sliding latch bolt



Nov. 6, 1956 J. J. O'CONNELL 2,769,330

LOCK HAVING A SLIDING LATCH BOLT v Filed Jan. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. JOHN J. ocoNNELL ATTORNEY.

Nov. 6, 1956 .1. J. OCONNELL 2,769,330

LOCK HAVING A SLIDING LATCH BOLT Filed Jan. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. JOHN J. OCONNELL ATTORNEY.

limited States Patent LOCK HAVING A SLIDING LATCH BOLT John J. OConnell,Sandy Hook, Conn.

Application January 24, 1955, Serial No. 483,459

Claims. (Cl. 70-97) This invention relates to locks and relates moreparticularly to a novel lock intended primarily for securing slidingdoors and other structures as distinguished from hinged doors and otherpivoted closures. The present application constitutes acontinuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 416,753, andnow abandoned.

The lock of the present invention includes a bolt section and a keepersection and if the lock is to be used for securing two sliding memberswhich move along a substantially common plane, one structure may becarried by each. If, however, one member is stationary, the keepersection will usually be mounted thereon. In either event the membercarrying the lock section may be moved in the direction of the othermember and as the two are about to contact, a wedge-shaped element inthe keeper encounters a diagonally movable spring-actuated latch bolt,causing it to retract into the lock case housing until it clears theprojecting wedge-shaped element associated with the keeper; at whichtime the latch bolt snaps forwardly along its diagonal path of traveland its surface thus engages a complemental diagonal surface of thewedge-shaped element, thus firmly locking the parts againstdisengagement until the latch bolt is manually retracted.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improvedlock assembly for two abutting members and consisting of a housingenclosing a slidable latch bolt and a keeper or strike plate formed witha wedge-shaped latch which provides a definite interlock with the lockhousing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel connecting devicefor locking two abutting members against longitudinal displacement andwherein there is provided a method of deadlocking the latch boltretracting hub lever against unauthorized opening of the door. This isaccomplished by the use of a dogging cam or cams. The dogging cam orcams may be manipulated by a thumb turn or by means of a key-operatedcylinder or both. Either of these means may also be employed on one orboth sides of the door, thus providing a lock for many specializedapplications.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a lock embodying the present invention, aportion of the cover plate being broken away to show the internalstructure.

Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. l but shows the latch bolt in retractedposition.

Fig. 3 shows the latch bolt in a locked position and restrained frominternal travel by means of a locking dog.

Fig. 4 is a broken section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a broken section taken through two members slidable relativeto each other and showing a modified lock of the present inventionwherein the manipulating means is recessed from the outer surfaces ofthe sliding door.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the lock.

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Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the open housing.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 88 of Fig. 7.

The lock of the present invention includes a latch section and a keepersection. The latch section has a housing 10 provided with a face plate11 having a forward extension 12 which is convexly curved on its frontface, which face is formed with an opening 13 having a diagonallyinclined upper wall 14 and a generally horizontal lower wall 17. Thehousing is arranged to be closed by a removable cover plate 15.

The latch bolt 16 moves diagonally within the housing and it is guidedat its inner end by a pair of fixed bosses 20 and 21 and at its outerend it is guided by upper diagonal wall 14 and by a lug 22 formed on arecessed portion of the front wall of the housing. The latch bolt isurged forwardly by a spring 23 carried on a fixed pin 24 slidable intothe latch bolt.

The latch bolt is formed on each side thereof with aligned shoulders,one of which is shown at 25 and the similar shoulder on the oppositeside of the bolt is engaged by an upward extension 26 of a hub lever 30,which upward extension also limits outward travel of the latch bolt.This hub lever has a non-circular opening 29 which receives a knob hub32 having a noncircular opening 33. A knob turn (not shown) has anon-circular spindle 35 received in opening 33. A spring 36 urges hublever 30 in a clockwise direction.

It will thus be seen that when knob spindle 35 is rotatedcounterclockwise the latch bolt is retracted (Fig. 2). To lock the latchbolt against retraction an angular plate or dogging cam 40 is employed,said cam being provided with a non-circular opening 41 to receive athumb knob hub 42. A thumb lever 43 (Fig. 4) for rotating dogging cam 40has a non-circular spindle portion 44 received in the non-circularopening in the thumb knob hub 42. It will accordingly be seen that whenthumb knob lever 43 is turned in a clockwise direction a dogging portion47 moves from the position of Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 3, thuseffectually preventing movement of latch bolt retracting lever 30. Thumbknob lever 43 carried by spindle portion 44 is shown as being positionedon one side only of the lock but a similar spindle and thumb knob levermay be positioned in the other end of the opening.

To rotate the dogging cam from its neutral position of Fig. 1 to itsdogging position of Fig. 3 a conventional key cylinder 48 is provided,said cylinder being actuated by a key shown in broken lines at 49. Thecylinder body is restrained against rotation by a set screw 53. Thecylinder has a cam 54 which is arranged to engage one of two spacedfingers 55 carried by the dogging cam. Thus when the cam 54 is rotatedin the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 it moves the dogging cam to theposition of Fig. 3 and counter-rotation thereof moves it back into theposition of Fig. l. A spring 50 restrains free rotation of dogging cam40. The dogging cam can at all times be actuated on the inside byturning thumb lever 43.

In Fig. 4 the thumb knob lever 43 is shown as being on one side of thedoor and the cylinder 48 on the opposite side thereof. In actualpractice they may both be on the same side or a duplicate of lever 43with spindle portion 44 may be inserted into the opposite end of thenoncircular bore in thumb knob hub 42 as was earlier mentioned.Similarly the knob turn associated with noncircular spindle 35 may bepositioned on the same side of the door as thumb knob lever 43, or twosuch levers may be provided.

The keeper section or strike consists of a plate 60 having an inwardlyrecessed portion 61 to receive the lock housing projection 12 guidingthe latch bolt and a'wedge-shaped block 62 having a diagonally inclinedupper surface 63 which is aligned with the lower surface of the latchbolt.

The lower surface 59 of the block 62 is spaced only slightly above uppersurface 17 of opening 13 in the forward extension 12. Accordingly it wilbe seen that when the parts are in the locked position of Fig. l thewedging action of the block 62 upwardly against the latch bolt anddownwardly against the lower wall 59 of opening 13 effectively preventsthe members from separating. If the latch section of the lock is securedto a sliding door and the keeper is secured to a fixed jamb the slidingdoor may be moved in the direction of the keeper and when the lowerforward corner section 65 of the latch bolt contacts the upper outercorner section 66 of the keeper block the latch bolt necesssarilyretracts against the compression of spring 23 until the latch boltclears the member 62, at which time the latch bolt again springsforwardly and rearward travel out of the keeper is prevented by contactof the bolt with the upper surface 63 of member 62.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8,similar latch manipulating members are provided on opposite sides of thehousing which is shown at 70. This housing is arranged to be closed bycover plate 71. The latch bolt 72 is the same as in the first embodimentand has shoulders 73 formed on opposite sides thereof and is guided forsliding movement at its rear end by bosses 74 and 75. A spring 76 urgesthe latch bolt outwardly. Movement of the latch bolt is effected fromeither side of the door by either one of two levers 77 and 78 which areactuated by knob turns 79 and 89 on the outside of the closed housing.Springs 81 urge levers 77 and 78 outwardly. Retraction of the latch boltis restrained when both dogging cams 83 and 84 have been rotated tolocked position by actuation of thumb knob levers 85 and 86, the latterbeing shown in broken lines. Springs 87 restrain rotation of theclogging cams.

Knob turns 79 and 80 have spindle portions 90 and 91 received innon-circular openings in aligned bushings 92 and 93 carried by levers 77and 78 respectively, said bushing replacing the through bushing 32 inthe first embodiment. Dogging cams 83 and 84 again have dogging portions94 which move downwardly under extensions 95 of levers 77 and 7 8. Alsoin this instance thumb knob levers 85 and 86 have spindle shaft portions96 carried in aligned, split bushings 97 supported in dogging cams 83and 84.

In Fig. 8 dogging cam 84 is shown as being rotatable independently ofhand lever 86 by means of lever 100 which is actuated by a key cylinder101 having face plate 102. A key lock for the opposite side of the dooris shown in broken lines at 106. It will be apparent from the foregoingthat dogging cams 83 and 84 can dog levers 85 and 86 from both sides ofthe door and that they can be moved to non-dogging position from eitherside of the door. If cylinder 106 is employed it is preferred to omitthumb turns 85 and 86. The lock has a face plate 103 formed with aforward extension 1&4 provided with a diagonal opening 105 for the bolt.A strike plate 106 similar to that shown in Fig. 1 may be employed, suchplate having a block 107 with its diagonally inclined upper surfacewhich is engaged by the lower surface of the diagonally movable bolt.The use of the term upper in this connection and in the appended claimsis relative since if the lock were turned upside down for mounting thissurface would be lower.

Except for the dual manipulating means the structure of Figs. to 8 issubstantially the same as the first embodiment and it furtherillustrates some of the possible variations of use by substitutingparts.

What I claim is:

1. A lock for detachably securing together two structures and includinga latch section adapted to be mounted in one structure and a keepersection adapted to be mounted in the other structure and provided with awedge-shaped block having a downwardly and inwardly inclined uppersurface and a generally horizontal lower surface, the latch sectionincluding a housing having a front opening which receives the block whenthe structures are move into abutting relationship, said opening havingan inclined upper wall and a horizontal lower wall which substantiallyabuts the lower wall of the block, a spring-actuated latchbolt slidablymounted in the housing for movement parallel with the inclined uppersurface of the block and whose lower surface contacts said inclinedupper surface when the latch-bolt is in extended position and preventswithdrawal of the block from the opening.

2. A lock for detachably securing together two structures and includinga latch section adapted to be mounted in one structure and a keepersection adapted to be mounted in the other structure and provided with awedgeshaped block having a downwardly and inwardly inclined uppersurface and a generally horizontal lower surface, the latch sectionincluding a housing provided with a forward extension having a frontopening which receives the block when the structures are moved intoabutting relationship, said opening having an inclined upper wall and ahorizontal lower wall which substantially abuts the lower wall of theblock, a spring-actuated latch-bolt slidably mounted in the housing formovement parallel with the inclined upper surface of the block and whoselower surface contacts said inclined upper surface when the latchbolt isin extended position and prevents withdrawal of the block from theopening, the latch-bolt being movable into the housing when it contactsthe block as the structures are moved into abutting relationship.

3. A lock for detachably securing together two struc tures and includinga latch section adapted to be mounted in one structure and a keepersection adapted to be mounted in the other structure and provided with awedge-shaped block having a downwardly and inwardly inclined uppersurface and a generally horizontal lower surface, the latch sectionincluding a housing having a front opening which receives the block whenthe structures are moved into abutting relationship, said opening havingan inclined upper wall and a horizontal lower wall which substantiallyabuts the lower wall of the block, a spring-actuated latch-bolt slidablymounted in the housing for movement parallel with the inclined uppersurface of the block and whose lower surface contacts said inclinedupper surface when the latch-bolt is in extended position and preventwithdrawal of the block from the opening, a manually operated lever forretracting the latch-bolt, and a manually operated dogging cam forrestraining movement of the lever.

4. A lock for detachably securing together two structures and includinga latch section adapted to be mounted in one structure and a keepersection adapted to be mounted in the other structure and provided with awedgeshaped block having downwardly and inwardly inclined upper surfaceand a generally horizontal lower surface, the latch section including ahousing provided with a forward extension having a front opening whichreceives the block when the structures are moved into abuttingrelationship, said opening having an inclined upper wall and ahorizontal lower wall which may contact the lower wall of the block whenthe parts are locked, a springactuated latch-bolt slidably mounted inthe housing which retracts into the housing when it contacts the blockas the structures are moved into abutting relationship, the lowersurface of the latch-bolt contacting the inclined upper surface of theblock with a wedging action to prevent withdrawal of the block from thehousing so long as the latch-bolt is in extended position, a manuallyactuated lever for retracting the latch-bolt and means for doggingaction of the lever.

5. A lock for detachably securing together two structures and includinga latch section adapted to be mounted in one structure and a keepersection adapted to be mounted in the other structure and provided with awedge-shaped block having a downwardly and inwardly inclined uppersurface and a generally horizontal lower surface, the latch sectionincluding a housing having a front opening which receives the block whenthe structures are moved into abutting relationship, said opening havingan inclined upper wall and a horizontal lower wall which substantiallyabuts the lower wall of the block, a springactuated latch-bolt slidablymounted in the housing for movement parallel with the inclined uppersurface of the block and whose lower surface contacts said inclinedupper surface when the latch-bolt is in extended position and preventswithdrawal of the block from the opening, manually operable levers forretracting the latch-bolt from either side of the structures andmanually operable dog ging carns for restraining movement of the leversfrom either side of the door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS WalkerApr. 18, 1865 Fraser June 17, 1930 McKenzie Dec. 18, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS Great Britain Aug. 15, 1908 Great Britain Aug. 30, 1917

